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Rochester Art House Observes 20th Year With Class Films To most exhibitors, the art theatre which came into prominence during the last three years is strictly an innovation. However the Little Theatre in Rochester, N. Y., recently observed its 20th anniversary of continuous exhibition of high quality and imported films. For 19 of those years, the theatre has been under the successful management of Mrs. Ben Belinson and her husband. The couple make an adnurable combination, with Mrs. Belinson handling public relations through active participation in women's clubs and using her woman's intuition concerning pictures which play the Little Theatre. Belinson handles the routine chores of management. For the anniversary campaign, an attractive souvenir brochure was prepared, a sixpage booklet containing a complete history of the theatre during the past two decades. Congratulatory telegrams, letters and a cable from J. Arthur Rank were displayed in the lobby. Floral pieces attracted compliments from capacity audiences at the theatre. Newspaper ads throughout the celebration carried special anniversary copy and advance ads listed some of the outstanding productions booked to play during the following weeks. Patrons who attended the Little Theatre during the first year of its operation were invited in ads and publicity stories to become members of the 29ers club. Registrations were taken in the theatre lobby. Members will be CROWDS CROWDS ROWDS ROWDS ROWDS C ROWDS \ almost beyond belief! honored by a special preview at regular intervals. Founders day was set apart to honor as guests of the management, prominent Rochester citizens in civic, music and society circles. Society editors of the Rochester press ran special stories on this event. The cartoonist of the Times-Union used a sketch of the Little Theatre, a bouquet and the caption "Congratulations" as his weekly drawing. Columnists also gave the occasion mention. Radio commentators included nostalgic topics as well as more recent stories of the Little Theatre in their broadcasts. The theatre was dressed with bunting, pennants and flags, and during the second week of the celebration a lobby display was exhibited showing historical data, old house programs and photos of stars who have appeared on the screen during the past 20 years. Detroit Alhambra Stages Baseball Benefit Show The Alhambra Theatre, north end Woodward avenue house in Detroit operated by the Kilbride circuit, staged a virtual sellout midnight show to provide uniforms for the Alger Atoms, neighborhood football team. The event was arranged by Paiil E. Reld, manager, in cooperation with the local playground director. The house is in a changing neighborhood, and has a large percentage of Negro patronage—so that this special benefit show for a Negro baseball team was highly appreciated by the community. The event was played up by the local Negro newspaper, which has a big circulation. A series of acts from local night clubs appeared at the benefit. $500 in Prizes Awarded To Style Show Patrons James G. Bell, manager of the Penn Theatre, New Castle, Pa., recently concluded a successful fashion show staged at the expense of the local Betty Gay store. The store plugged the style show a month in advance via windows and inside the store displays. It also ran ads announcing the show and provided $500 worth of merchandise to be awarded as door prizes to lucky ticket holders. Bell recently played a benefit show for the polio fund and, through this tieup, was able to get plugs on current Penn screen attractions at local football games one month prior to the benefit. ^^^^ Wallpaper Herald John Howe, manager of the Kentucky in Lexington, revived the wallpaper form of circular recently to exploit "Look for the Silver Lining." He obtained samples of wallpaper which were cut up and imprinted with copy: "We're so excited about this show that we're tearing the paper off the walls, etc." CLEARING HOUSE (Continued from inside bacli cover) POPCORN SUPPLIES Attractively printed popcorn cartons for sale. 10c size, $6.25 M: 25c size. JI6 00 M. Fabian Kontney. 609 N. Ashland. Green Bay. Wis. Bee-Hive Hybrid—better than ever for '49; In cirlons. Ihe Famll»-Slze "Premiere" Is the latesl thinK. Blevlns Popcorn Co.. Popcorn VIlIaKe, Nschvlllp Tenn Noiseless bags, can't be blown up. Golnj like wildfire. Write for sample and price. Atlanta Poprorn Supply. Box S3». Atlanta, Oa. White Hulless popcorn. $8.75 per cwt. Top quality. Guaranteed! Sno-Wlte Popcorn Co., Montl- POPCORN MACHINES Rebuilt Popcorn Machines for sale. Fully guarante
, BUFFALO— I ' I The • of ; strongly I , South." I Sy^ri'"" PHILADELPHIA—The U.S. government li;is lost a partnership case in district court here which can have repercussions in the theatre industry, where family investments are involved in the operation of a theatre. A jury, in answering interrogatories, ruled that members of a family who have money invested in a business partnership are genuine partners. This is a flat reversal of a doctrine which commissioners of the Internal Revenue department had sought to install permanently in the code of tax collection. The case involved an alleged overcollection of taxes from the Lamb family, center city stationers. This proceeding probably will be appealed by the government. Falls Groups Protest 'Birth of a Nation' Run Representatives of religious and civic organizations at a meeting at Niagara Falls. N. Y., have protested the I showing in a theatre in the Cataract city of the 35-yearold movie. "The Birth of a Nation." Rev. M. F. Clay, local representative of the National Ass'n for the Advancement Colored People, said the association objects to the showing of the picture. "The favorable light in which the Ku Klux Klan is depicted in the movie has aroused deep concern among religious leaders here," he said. "The film pictures the Klan as being the savior of the .south and glorifies it in its evil and insidious practices." He also protested about advertising for the movie, which states "The Klan Saved the He said that at a meeting Wednesday all religious and civic leaders present voiced objections to the film, but said it was 1 too late to do anything further about it now. Smalley Theatre, Camden. Is Destroyed by Flames ALBANY—Fire early Monday moining. which started following a projection room blaze on the preceding night, destroyed the SmaJley Theatre in Camden near Rome according to a telephone conversation with William C. Smalley in Cooperstown. The first blaze on Sunday night caused evacuation of the theatre and destroyed several prints of film. Manager Vic Mastracco, his wife and child who live in an apartment above the theatre, were absent when the second blaze started. The Smalley was the only theatre in Camden. 138,000 Sets in Albany Area ALBANY— At least 38,000 television sets are currently in use in this area which includes Troy. Schenectady, Glenn Falls, Pittsfield and the capital city, according to reliable [estimates, reaching an estimated 180.000 per- ,sons. General Electric's station WRGB at Schenectady receives reporte that reception extends as far as Saranac Lake, Ticonderoga, Brattleboro, vt., and places in New Hampjshire. Effect on theatre attendance is uncertain. Only subsequent run operators express any conviction that it is serious comipetition. Film and Radio Industry Join to Fight Censorship WASHINGTON— D.rectors of the Motion Picture Ass'n of America and the National Ass'n of Broadcasters took steps this week to form a continuing alliance to fight censorship of all kinds. Their joint battle will be to insure the continued freedom of the screen and radio from any attacks upon the basic guarantees in the constitution. The first meeting was "extremely successful" and promises much for the future, MPAA President Eric Johnston said. He and NAB President Justin M;ller had been hosts at the dinner. Johnston and Miller each named working groups from their organizations to plan joint action both of the preventive type and to combat present threats and tendencies toward interference with free expression. Johnston said he sees this move as a logical extension of the sort of program which got under way last year with the formation of the Hollywood all-industry council and was Charles Einfeld of 20th Century-Fox and continued this year with the Chicago public relations meet. Film members of the liaison group include Y. Frank FYeeman of Paramoimt, Robert Mochrie of RKO, Theodore Black of Republic, MPA's general counsel, Sidney Schreiber. Ulric Bell of 20th-Fox is an alternate member. The joint meeting of the toppers of the two associations Tuesday adopted a statement reading as follows: "Freedom of expression is the birthright of all Americans. "Tonight, representatives of broadcasting and the motion picture in America mutually pledge themselves to protect that birthright. "The men who wrote our Constitution knew full well that the keystone of the arch of freedoms is freedom of expression. They knew that without this freedom no others would be possible. They could not foresee the giant printing presses of the future: much less could they dream of radio, the motion pic- THE TICKETS ARE READY—Comedian Milton Berle and Singer Tony Martin display the first batch of tickets for the special world premiere of Warners' "Always Leave Them Laughing" at the New York Strand Theatre on November 22. All proceeds are to go to the Damon Runyon Fund for Cancer Research. The film stars Berle. ture or of television. But they had seen free speech and their own free press suppressed and denied under a tyrannical government, and they understood its importance, "They knew, as we cannot in safety forget, that censorship of any kind is deadly to that concept. We are joined to oppose censorship from any source, on any front." "It is fundamental truth that no one medium of expression can have its freedom abridged without peril to all others. "The citizen himself—the individual American—is unsafe in his constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech so long as the freedom of any agency of expression is encroached upon." Para. Saturation Showings Of 'Samson' in New York NEW YORK—Paramount concluded the first phase of its "saturation screenings" of Cecil B. DeMille's "Samson and Delilah" with four invitation showings at the Museum of Modern Art ending November 16. Almost 2.000 invitations were sent to a selected audience of members of the press, motion picture tradepapers, national and fan magazines, radio national and local groups and organizations and fashion and merchandising groups. The results were beyond expectations, according to Max E. Youngstein, Paramount director of national advertising, publicity and exploitation who .said: "The goodwill and word-of-mouth publicity resulting from this program will have a highly salutary effect on the boxoffice success of the picture." Amusement Tax Receipts Drop in Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA—The city treasurer has collected 2.78 per cent less in amusement taxes during the first ten months of 1949 than in the same period in 1948. The total taken in was $3,343,954, compared to an estimate of $4,500,000 anticipated for the period. While there has not been a breakdown of motion picture, legitimate stage and night club revenues, survey indicated that night club business had fallen off as much as 50 per cent in some cases. This would indicate that the drop in boxoffice grosses is not as high as some exhibitors claim. One theatreman reported that attendance dropped off in July and has not yet picked up. The tax figures indicate that while such boxoffice drops may be true in isolated situations, some other houses must have experienced an increase. 'Bicycle Thief to Open NEW YORK—"Tlie Bicycle Thief," Vittoria de Sica's Italian film which is being released in the U.S. by Mayer-BurstTO, Inc., will open at the World Theatre following the current engagement of "The Affair Blum." The picture won the Grand Prix at the 1949 International Film festival in Belgium and the Seven Silver ribbons, equivalent to our Academy awards, from the Italian film industry and critics. ROXOFFICE :: November 19, 1949 53
Page 1 and 2: TOTAL NET PAID CIRCULATION EXCEEDS
Page 3 and 4: •iT? PRESS-TIME FLASH! EVERY RECO
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Page 16 and 17: mk Montana Totol Total Combine Trad
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Page 22 and 23: and and THE BIG PARADE OF WORLD WAR
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Page 27 and 28: i Trueman : Wednesday. ] OPPOSE I T
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Page 31 and 32: Allied Polls Exhibitors On Distribu
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Page 73 and 74: Personalities at Annual MPTO Conven
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Page 81 and 82: ' ' north ' houses I I I i . . Bill
Page 83 and 84: . . Small . . The Marcus, Iowa, Exh
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i I OTTAWA—A ' scenic, I I ' , in
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OXOFFICE BAROMETER • EXHIBITOR HA
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Alphabetical Picture Guide Index an
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, (70) . H Very Good: + Good; ^ Fai
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, lui-T«r«» Wtstem I RO RADIO lO
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Drama Drama Drama Western REPUBLIC
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Opinions on Current Productions; fx
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I Ljwe I • f'tn , I rp., I Holmes
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